Health Care Solution: Health insurance Counselors

Groups like Medicare Rights Center and individuals like Frederic Riccardi champion the rights of medicare and medicaid recipients to insure they receive proper benefits under the maze of plans, restrictions, small print, smaller print and never spoken terms.

Health insurance counselors like Mr. Riccardi, who travels to senior centers around New York City, help the elderly to understand coverage options and to escape the financial and medical vises that may be gripping them. Hospitals and senior centers often employ these caseworkers, nonprofit groups like the Medicare Rights Center have hot lines, and every state has a health insurance counseling program (www.shiptalk.org). NY Times article

Their role sounds very much like what customer service was once described. Serving the customer, championing the customer's needs, showing them you care. Whatever. For the many they serve, it's often a life-saving service.